The Week After
by letitbeme
Summary: What happened with Jim & Pam in the week after Toby's goodbye party. AU fic. rated T for language
1. Chapter 1

hi-ho, everyone, i first thought up this story back in the summer between seasons 4 & 5, some so-called fans were theorizing that the botched proposal would lead to Jim & pam breaking up, now, while, I hate the mere concept of them breaking up, i was intrigued & my brain hatched this story, which i finally just got around to typing up, so, enjoy!

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It was the Monday after Toby's goodbye party & things were tense between Jim & Pam, Jim was still angry at his lost chance at a proposal & Pam was angry at Jim, because she was beginning to doubt how serious he was about wanting to marry her.

Pam had been busy that day, but im'd Jim that she wanted to talk to him in the parking lot at a few minutes before 5.

Jim agreed & at 4:55, Pam walked out the door with Jim following.

"What's up?" Jim asked once they were both outside the building.

"Jim, this isn't easy, but, I think we need some time apart."

"What?"

"You've been doing these damn fake proposals & I'm beginning to doubt how serious you are about some things."

"Pam, wait a sec, I-"

"I've requested the rest of this week off, I'm going to go stay with my mother & next week, I'm heading to Pratt while I try to figure some of this out."

Jim was speechless at what was going on & couldn't figure out what to say.

"I'm going to think some of this over, Jim, I'll let you know what I decide." Pam said turning to go to her car.

"Pam, wait!" Jim yelled in exasperation dropping to one knee & searching his pockets only to find nothing.

"THE ONE DAY I LEAVE IT AT HOME!" Jim screamed in his head only to look up & see Pam looking at him ashamed.

"Goodbye, Jim."

& with that, Pam drove out of the parking lot & possibly, out of Jim's life forever.

Jim just sat there on one knee having been dealt the biggest blow of his life, eventually he stood up & slowly walked back into the building.

On his way up, his mind drifted between the fact that the love of his life just left him & whose fault all this really was.

Anger took over Jim as he left the elevator & stormed into the office to see Andy putting his coat on.

"YOU! BERNARD! YOU LYING, OBLIVIOUS, TONE-DEAF, WALL-PUNCHING, NIGHT-STEALING, SON-OF-A-BITCH! THANKS TO YOU & YOUR STUPID PROPOSAL, THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE WORLD I'VE EVER TRULY LOVED, MY PAM, JUST DROVE OUT OF MY LIFE!"

Unsure of what else to say, Andy just said, "Tuna, how would that be my fault?"

"I was going to propose to her that night, shit-for-brains, & I couldn't, because of you! Now, she thinks I don't want to marry her & she left me!"

"Jim, I had no idea, I'm sorry."

"Sorry? You're sorry?" Jim said, his anger overwhelming him.

"You know what, Bernard, you can just go to hell for all I care." Jim told him before grabbing his jacket, leaving the office & slamming the door so hard it made a few pictures on desks rattle.

Michael walked out of the bathroom, wiping his hands only to see the office in a stunned silence.

"Okay, what I miss?"

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tense, huh? wanna know what happens next? review & you'll find out. at least 10 reviews will get you another chapter, so go, review!


	2. Chapter 2

_hey ya'll! here's the second chapter! thanks to everyone for the great reviews! you have no idea the natural high they are for me. i'll admit, 10 reviews were a little too much to want on the first chapter, so, i settled for 5. anyway, here's the second chapter, enjoy!_

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Jim woke up on Friday morning in his living room, squinting in pain from the sunlight & the massive hangover he had, which was quickly becoming a routine. He looked around his apartment, saw that it was littered with beer cans from the last 3 days which he spent sulking around the apartment attempting to drown his sorrows while not even bothering to put something on over his boxer shorts.

Jim sat up on the couch wincing in pain from the massive headache he had, he looked over at the table next to the couch & saw that velvet box which held the same ring that caused all this mess, he tried several times over the last three and a half days to get rid of it, but he didn't have the guts to do it.

The phone ringing interrupted Jim's sorrow & made him feel like someone was hitting skull with a hammer from the inside.

He quickly found the found & answered.

"Hello?" he said groggily.

"Hey, big kid" came the gentle voice on the other end of the line.

"Hey, mom, what's up?" Jim asked quietly.

"I wanted to check up on you, I heard about what happened."

Jim was confused, "how did-"

"Your friend Oscar called me."

Jim remembered calling in on Tuesday & Oscar answering, he claimed he was just walking by & the phone was ringing, Jim had told him to tell Michael he wouldn't be in for a few days & that he didn't want anyone stopping by or calling to see how he was, that he just wanted to be alone, strangely, they all respected his wishes.

"He told me what happened...sweetheart, I'm so sorry."

"What did he tell you exactly?"

"That Pam left you, something about she thought you didn't want to marry her, & that you screamed at that fellow, Andy, & blamed him for it."

"Look, he stole my chance &-"

"I know, son, you told me all about it."

"Right, sorry, anyway, Pam told me she was going to go stay with her mother in Wilkes-Barre while she figured things out, but, I could tell, she's left me for good."

"I'm sorry, son."

"Well, what are you gonna do?"

"Jim, I know things can be pretty desolate right now-"

"Look, ma, I appreciate what you're doing, but, I just want to be by myself right now, I'll have to get over this eventually, right?"

"Jim, I-"

"I'll call you in a couple of days, bye, mom." & with that, Jim hung up the phone.

Normally, if one of her kids hung up on her, Sarah Halpert would immediately call back & give them an earful, but, now she couldn't feel anything but sympathy for her youngest son, wishing there was something she could do. When suddenly, an idea hit her.

"Kyle, I'm heading to Wilkes-Barre!"

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_so what is jim's mom gonna do? review & find out! _

_on a lighter note, i wanted to tell something about me & this story, i'm a film geek by nature & I put different movie lines & homages in my stories. in the first chapter, jim yelling at andy, i based that on ernest borgnine yelling at gene hackman after stella stevens died in the original poseidon adventure. & at the end of that chapter, when michael asks "what i miss?", steve buscemi said that line in a...similar context in armageddon. & finally, here, i named jim's parents sarah & kyle, a cookie for anyone who can figure out what movie that's from. i'll give you a hint: sc & kr_


	3. Chapter 3

_HELLO, BOYS, I'M BA-AA-AA-CK!...Independence Day. sorry for the long wait, I hit a bit of a creative slump with this chapter, I'm not as proud of this one as i am with my other ones, i don't know why, i just am. it's a long one, so enjoy!_

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Sarah Halpert drove up to the house that was the only Beesly address in the book, so she figured it must be where Pam was staying. Sarah sat in her car for a minute thinking over what she was doing, but, she knew it had to be done.

Sarah got out & walked up to the house & rang the doorbell. She heard the door opening & an older woman about Sarah's age, she thought, stuck her head out.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, is this the Beesly residence?"

"Yes, yes, it is."

"Ms. Beesly, My name is Sarah Halpert, you might recognize the name, my son was going out with your daughter, can I speak with Pam, it's about Jim."

"Look, Ms. Halpert, Pam's been feeling very-"

"Please, Ms. Beesly-"

"Helen."

"Helen, it's urgent, if I can just talk to Pam, it might get her to reconcile with Jim."

"Okay", Helen said opening the door for her.

"Thank you", Sarah said as she walked in, only to be grabbed on the arm by Helen.

"For what it's worth, I'm only doing this because Jim is good for Pam, much better than...than you-know-who was."

"I know."

Helen led Sarah into the empty dining area, her husband, Joe, had already gone off to work and Pam was in the kitchen.

"Pam, could you come in here for a minute?" Helen said into the kitchen.

Pam walked in and was surprised at who she saw.

"Sarah?"

"Hello, Pam."

"What are you doing here?"

"Let's sit down."

"Okay."

they did so & Sarah was still trying to get out what she had to say & Helen went into the kitchen to give them some privacy, but, was still listening from the doorway.

"Pam, I'm here about Jim."

"Look, if he sent you, I'm still thinking it over."

"He doesn't know I'm here, I wanted to talk to you about this whole situation."

"Look, it's complicated, Jim was toying with me with all these fake proposals and I,...there were fireworks at our co-worker's going-away party and I really thought he was going to propose, but he didn't. I just don't know how serious he is about it, so, I left."

"Jim told me about that night, he was disappointed too, because he was going to propose that night."

"What?" Pam asked, shocked.

"What?" Helen quietly asked, equally shocked.

"He was, he may have done joke proposals, but he was very serious about wanting to marry you. I still remember he called so excited a week after you two started dating when he bought the ring."

"Wait a minute, he bought a ring? A week after we started dating?"

Sarah realized she had said too much.

"Yes."

"My god, what have I done?"

"Will he still take her back?" Helen asked coming in from the kitchen.

"I'm sure he will, if you wouldn't mind me taking her back to Scranton?" Sarah asked hopefully.

"Of course, Pam?"

"The sooner, the better" Pam said nearly beside herself.

"I just, I had no idea that he-"

"Come on, let's go back."

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Pam & Sarah walked up to Jim's apartment door & knocked, someone going out let them in, so he wouldn't be expecting them.

They heard groans and rattling on the other side of the door until they heard Jim opening the door and he stuck his head out.

"Mom, what are you doing here? I said I wanted to be alone."

Sarah figured he must not have seen Pam, since his head wasn't out far enough.

"I brought someone."

He looked out a little further and saw Pam standing next to her.

"What are you doing here?" Jim asked, shocked.

Pam was shocked looking at Jim's face, he had bags under his eyes and his hair was a mess, his face had streaks from tears, Pam couldn't say anything until Sarah chimed in.

"Can we come in, please?"

Jim let them in and Pam got a good look at him and his apartment, he was in his boxer shorts & nothing else, and his apartment was littered in beer cans & dirty plates, Pam walked in and sat down on the couch, Sarah sat down on another chair.

"How've you been doing, Jim?" Pam asked, unsure of what else to say.

"Well, since you left, I came home & have been sulking, drinking, not taking care of myself, blaming everyone involved in this whole thing and trying to stop caring about anything, but, enough about me, what are you doing here?"

"Well, your mom came to get me, and well-"

"I told her, Jim" Sarah said butting in.

"Told her what?"

"About the ring and the attempted proposal." Pam admitted.

"Oh."

"Jim, I'm so sorry, I was being stupid and angry and selfish, and honestly, the last couple days I've spent thinking about this made me remember how much I still love you, about those years when we couldn't have each other and how, especially now, I never want to go through that again. I know it's asking for a lot, but, do you think you can you forgive me?"

Jim just sat in silence appearing to be thinking, only to turn to Pam with a growing smile on his face.

He put his hand on hers and said, "I'll always forgive you, Pam, I love you."

Pam started to smile with tears forming in her eyes, "I love you, too, and, you propose to me whenever you're good & ready."

Jim was never sure what made him do this, but, he reached over, grabbed the ring and dropped to one knee.

The smile still on his face, he looked up at Pam who still had her smile.

"Pam, will you marry me?"

"Yes, yes, I will." Pam said more than enthusiastically.

Jim jumped up & pulled Pam into a big kiss and a hug.

During the hug, Jim looked over at Sarah and mouthed, "thank you."

"Jim." Pam said into his ear.

"Yes, fiancee" Jim said overflowing with happiness.

"Not wanting to kill the moment or anything, but, you really need a shower."

"I know, I know." Jim said, still smiling.

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_I was debating with myself for a while as to whether have this be one long chapter or split it into two, I decided on the former because I didn't want to hold too many of you guys in suspense as to what was going to happen. I got one more chapter up my sleeve, so stick around! also, since some people got the sarah and kyle thing in the last chapter, maybe you'll get this one. I named Pam's parents Joe & Helen. Another cookie for anyone who figures it out. your hint:JH and HC._


	4. Chapter 4

_here it is, the last chapter. i want to thank everybody for the great reviews, i love you guys! i hope you had as much fun reading this story as i had writing it._

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After saying yes, Pam and Sarah cleaned up his apartment while he showered. Afterward, Sarah went home and Jim and Pam had a wonderful weekend together and she left for New York on Sunday night with the promise that they'd call and visit each other.

On Monday morning, Jim drove into work a new man, happiness threatening to burst from every orifice. When he got to work, he ran into Oscar in the parking lot, who was happy to see Jim back on his feet.

"Hey, you're back!"

"Yes, I am."

"So, um,...how you feeling?"

"Pretty good, considering Pam and I are engaged now!"

"You're kidding, that's great, what happened?"

"Well, my mom went and told her the truth and she came back, I asked and she said yes."

"Really, your mom did that? That's good." Oscar said feigning ignorance.

"Yeah, she did...thanks, man, I appreciated that."

"Jim, you're a good guy, and you can ask anybody, breaking up sucks, and I don't care how old you are, sometimes a guy just has to talk to his mom."

"That's true."

At this point, they had already taken the elevator up and were on their floor and were to the door.

"So, did anything big happen while I was gone?"

Before Oscar could answer, Jim opened the door to Andy yelling at Angela.

"DWIGHT?! THIS WHOLE TIME?! HOW COULD YOU?! AND TO HEAR ABOUT IT FROM PHYLLIS?!"

Jim watched Andy storm off into the break room and looked around awkwardly.

"All right, what'd I miss?"

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_just like the first chapter, i'll be around with more stories, i got some ideas cooking, but, until then, i'll be seeing you._


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